Cherokee 4-H Summer Workshops

September 7, 2021

Laura Haddon, Cherokee County Clemson Extension 4-H Youth Development Agent

June was our first month of in-person activities since we went virtual in March 2020 due to the pandemic.  We hit the ground running and haven’t stopped!

One of the first things on our Cherokee County 4-H calendar was our Nature Fridays hosted at the Duke Energy Outdoor Education Center.  A total of 26 youth attended at least one of the four Friday workshops.  Each Friday was devoted to a specific natural resources topic: watersheds, pollinators, aquatic wildlife, and terrestrial wildlife.  Games, crafts, and hands-on activities connected the youth to the natural beauty of Cherokee County.  We heard from guest speakers each week that offered practical applications and future career connections to the important topics being covered at camp each week.  This set of workshops was very well received and could only have been accomplished with the assistance of Cherokee County Soil & Water Conservation District, York County 4-H, Greenville County 4-H, Oconee County 4-H, SCDNR, and Duke Energy.

4-Hers complete macro-invertebrate sampling in London Creek with the help of SCDNR.

Cherokee County 4-H also offered Clovers in the Kitchen Workshops where youth learned basic cooking skills such as making muffins, boiling eggs, and browning ground beef.  Our youngest 4-H’ers, the Cloverbuds, had a workshop all their own where they experienced activities from all six 4-H project areas.  Their favorite activities were the ones with the animals (worms, chicks, and a rabbit) that came to visit!  Eleven girls signed up for Sewing 101 where they learned to operate a sewing machine and created several projects to take home including a pillow, bean bags, bookmarks, and drawstring bags.

Each of the workshops offered this summer has the opportunity to become a full-fledged 4-H club this fall.  We are looking forward to building on our summer successes in the 2021-2022 school year!